Chapelle du Rosaire
From the age of 47, Henri Matisse made Nice his home. But Vence held a special place in the artist’s heart: It was his place of residence during World War II, as well as home to Dominican nun Sister Jacques-Marie, Matisse’s former nurse and muse. So in 1947, when Matisse discovered that the sisters were planning the construction of a new chapel, he offered not only to design it, but fund the project as well. Matisse was 77 at the time. Not to mention an atheist too.
The Chapelle du Rosaire was completed in 1951. A beautifully bright space, it offers the exceptional possibility of stepping into a three-dimensional artwork. As Sir Nicholas Serota, former director of London’s Tate gallery claimed: “It has to be one of the great works made anywhere at any time. Sistine Ceiling or Vence Chapel? I wouldn’t want to choose between the two.”
From the front of the chapel, you may find the structure unremarkable and pass it by—until you spot a 12m (39-ft.) crescent-adorned cross rising from a blue-tile roof. Within, dozens of stained-glass windows shimmer cobalt blue (symbolizing the sea), sapphire green (the landscape), and golden yellow (the sun). Most remarkable are the 14 black-and-white-tile Stations of the Cross, featuring Matisse’s self-styled “tormented and passionate” figures.
The bishop of Nice came to bless the chapel in the late spring of 1951; Matisse died 3 years later.
From the age of 47, Henri Matisse made Nice his home. But Vence held a special place in the artist’s heart: It was his place of residence during World War II, as well as home to Dominican nun Sister Jacques-Marie, Matisse’s former nurse and muse. So in 1947, when Matisse discovered that the sisters were planning the construction of a new chapel, he offered not only to design it, but fund the project as well. Matisse was 77 at the time. Not to mention an atheist too.
The Chapelle du Rosaire was completed in 1951. A beautifully bright space, it offers the exceptional possibility of stepping into a three-dimensional artwork. As Sir Nicholas Serota, former director of London’s Tate gallery claimed: “It has to be one of the great works made anywhere at any time. Sistine Ceiling or Vence Chapel? I wouldn’t want to choose between the two.”
From the front of the chapel, you may find the structure unremarkable and pass it by—until you spot a 12m (39-ft.) crescent-adorned cross rising from a blue-tile roof. Within, dozens of stained-glass windows shimmer cobalt blue (symbolizing the sea), sapphire green (the landscape), and golden yellow (the sun). Most remarkable are the 14 black-and-white-tile Stations of the Cross, featuring Matisse’s self-styled “tormented and passionate” figures.
The bishop of Nice came to bless the chapel in the late spring of 1951; Matisse died 3 years later.
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